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August 24, 2005
Heather Has Two Mommies Who Have A Custody Hearing
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My understanding is that theruling not only mandates that gay and lesbian parents have to paychild-support if they break up with a partner with whom they hadchildren who are not biologically or legally (by adoption) theirs butthat those parents are also entitled to custody of those children inthe event that the couple seperates.
That, to me, is a prettyobvious step forward in that the state must now recognize that a personwho makes a decision with her or his partner to raise a child is familyto that child regardless of biological or adoptive status. So saymy hypothetical partner and I were to have a hypothetical messybreak-up and she, the biological mother, were to take the hypotheticalchildren, who I did not legally adopt while we were a couple, to livewith her, I would be entitled to visitation and/ or custody ofthe children who I decided to have and to raise. So I don't seethis as a case of getting the responsibilities but none of the rightsor benefits of being a recognized family.
And I don't think that this isabout getting the government to butt into peoples' lives or tell themhow to live. To me it is more like holding people to a contract--only instead of a legal document, it is a different kind of contractthat a person enters into when he or she becomes a parent to achild.
Not to mention that it doesgive a new kind of legal recognition to gay relationships insofar as itacknowledges that there a kind of contract between partners, whatevertheir sex. Obviously, this is not full legal recognition and nota substitute for legalized gay marriage (and on this point,I think theargument that this is a case of 'responsibilities without the rights'is most serious and convincing), but I do think it is a stepforward. This recognition is not nothing.
And of course, from a practicalpoint of view, of course it is good for the remaining parent andchildren that they are now entitled to childsupport, as it really can'tbe overemphasized how much more difficult it is (and financiallyuntenable, in many cases) it is to raise children with one parentrather than two.
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Posted by hissycat at August 24, 2005 10:53 AM
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Comments
Edmonton dominated the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night and the 4-0 margin in Game 6 makes it hard to imagine the Oilers not hoisting hockey's Holy Grail above their heads in less than 48 hours. And it would not come as any shock to see defenseman Chris Pronger, who had another 31-minute night, take the honors for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.
Posted by: annabannelle at June 24, 2006 07:06 PM
Edmonton dominated the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night and the 4-0 margin in Game 6 makes it hard to imagine the Oilers not hoisting hockey's Holy Grail above their heads in less than 48 hours. And it would not come as any shock to see defenseman Chris Pronger, who had another 31-minute night, take the honors for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.
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